Killer Temptation (26 page)

Oh no. Poor Cynthia
. Hadn’t the woman been through enough, and now she had to face some trial and a possible sentence. Brianna shook her head, disappointment weighing her shoulders.

“On the upside, I guess your request can be dismissed, Tristan and—”

“No,” Tristan cut in. “My appeal still stands. I have not changed my mind.”

“But, now you and Brianna can put Maurice and the past behind you—”

She shifted her gaze from one vampire to the other.

Tristan shook his head again. “I will not change my mind. Our first agreement stands and is final.”

Lord Sylvestre crossed his arms over his chest. “You know what this means for you, don’t you?”

“Yes. I’m well aware.”

“And yet, you still wish to go through with this?”

“Yes.”

“What about your parents?” Lord Sylvestre tilted his head. “What do they know of this?”

Brianna bit the inside of her cheek. His parents? They would return from a romantic getaway to learn their son lay on his deathbed. How were they to cope?

Tristan blinked, but kept his face solemn. “They don’t. But I will tell them when they return, and they will deal.”

“And your brothers?”

Tristan sucked in a frustrated breath. “Again, they will deal.”

Lord Sylvestre tilted his chin. “There is no convincing you, is there?”

“No.”

Tensed silence filled the air. “Brianna Johnson.” The leader turned to her with a smile. “You are free to leave
Désuet
.”

“Um.” She looked from one vampire to the other. There were things she needed to sort out first, questions Tristan needed to answer. Those questions sat on the tip of her tongue, not brave enough to leave her lips.

“In fact, there’s the group of humans preparing to head home on the next shuttle bus.” Lord Sylvestre pointed to the line-up of people in front of the long staircase who all hugged their loved ones goodbye. “Let me talk to someone in charge.”

She extended her hand to stop him, but the leader walked off. She turned to Tristan, his face rigid and expressionless. She expected anger. At this rate, she might even prefer his sadness. It would be better than the emotionless void she witnessed now.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” she had to ask. He no doubt thought her a fool for doing so, but she didn’t care.

His gaze focused past her shoulder, as though he dared not stare into her eyes.

“Yes. I should not have brought you here in the first place.” At last, he peered down, and whether he realised or not, his furrowed brows softened and the tension around his mouth eased. “And for that, I’m sorry.”

She could return home, the one thing she craved since arriving. Her true chance at freedom, and yet, it reminded her of a life sentence. But he made clear he didn’t want her. She embarrassed him in front of his people, betrayed his trust, and insulted him. She had been nothing but a painful inconvenience.

The least she could do was walk away and leave him be. If he wanted her, wouldn’t he hold her in his arms, beg her to stay, and forgive all her mistakes? Instead, he stood there, hands in his pocket and eyes averted.

“Brianna!”

That voice sounded familiar.

She turned. Someone ran toward her, a woman with short dark hair and kind brown eyes. “Kimberly?”

“Yes.” Kimmie laughed, stepped forward and wrapped Brianna in a tight hug.

“Kimmie, what are you doing here?”

This must be some twilight zone. Tristan stepped around them and muttered something about speaking with Lord Sylvestre.

“Don’t you remember? I told you at the Armistice gathering my brother is mated to a vampire. Although, I believe they say
moitié
or whatever. Anyway, I’ve been here for the last week visiting them.”

She did remember. The event felt like a lifetime ago. So much had happened; so much changed since then.

Kimberley leaned back and her smile dampened at the sight of her torn clothes and messy appearance. “Is everything okay?” Her friend looked to Tristan who stood with the leader near the line-up of humans.

She spared Tristan a quick glance, and said to Kimberley, “Yes. It’s a long story, but everything is fine.”

Kimmie nodded, but the arch of her brow told her she wasn’t convinced. “If you say so. I wish I could stay longer, especially now that you’re here, but I’m booked on the next shuttle out. I’m heading back to the States.”

“You are?” Brianna frowned. “What a shame. It would have been nice to spend some time with you.”

“Brianna?”

The sound of Tristan’s voice made her freeze. She turned to face him and he studied her. “Yes?”

“You won’t have to part with your friend so soon after all. You may go with the next shuttle into town.”

His words should have lifted her heart with joy, not slash like a poisoned whip. “Oh,” she muttered. Anger coursed through her, furious with herself. Was that all she had to say, but what else could she tell him? For the first time since coming here, things were going her way. And she hated the fact.

“That’s fantastic. We can take the same flight home and—”

“But I didn’t book any flights,” she stated. She might appear to be making excuses not to travel with Kimmie, but this had nothing to do with her childhood friend and everything to do with Tristan. But he just stood there, not once demanding she stay with him.

“That won’t be a problem,” he added. “I can arrange it all for you by the time you arrive at the airport.”

Her throat closed, a threat of tears burned her eyes. He would rather die than have her stay with him.

“Kimmie.” She gave her friend a polite smile. “Please give me a minute with Tristan.”

Kimberley blinked once, stepped back. “Sure, I’ll wait for you in the line-up."

“Thanks.” She waited until the young woman joined the rest of the group across the room. When she faced Tristan, he still had his hands in his pockets, and avoided her gaze.

“How will I pay you back for the flight? I don’t have any money on me at the moment.”

He tsked under his tongue. “You won’t, Brianna. You owe me nothing.”

A part of her didn’t agree. “Um…you can come to me anytime…for blood. I don’t mind, really I don’t.” Gosh, how awkward, like telling a neighbour they could stop by for a cup of sugar whenever they needed. He might not want her, but he needed her blood.

His lips twisted and his lethal stare spoke louder than words. “Again, you owe me nothing. Just leave, Brianna.”

Cheeks red-hot, she swallowed the lump in her throat, and forced back the hurt and embarrassment. “Okay,” she breathed. The soft click of her heels rang as she made a slow depart to the line-up of humans. Lifting her feet, they weighed like heavy steel. The action did not resemble walking, more dragging. She swallowed her pride, curled her fists by her sides and like a brave woman, stood at the end of the line, beside her friend. Some humans scrutinised her, perhaps wondered why she appeared the way she did. Even now, Kimberley glanced at her up and down. “You don’t want to change first?”

Not a bad idea. The dark, long dress might look ridiculous out in the real world. Not to mention her hair was a complete mess. She gazed at her wrist. No wounds marred her skin. She didn’t understand why the puncture healed so fast, just like the last time. The dried blood on her wrist exposed the mere indication of his bite.

People whispered while eyeing her, but she didn’t care. If she went back into his room to change, she didn’t think she would have the courage to walk out again, and didn’t want to embarrass him. “No, this will have to do.”

Tristan stared from across the room, and her gaze settled on him, unable to look away. His mouth opened. The warm tickle of his breath danced over the slope of her neck, and the hard muscles of his abs flattened across the front of her dress. She felt him, even with the distance, just like she had the first night.

With a small nod, he stepped back, wheeled around and headed through the plaza.

A tear trailed along her cheek, and she chased the droplet away with her palm. This would be the last time she ever saw him. Life always threw her these curveballs. When the time came for her to pack up and go, she did so without a fuss.

As a small child she had been on her best behaviour with each new foster parent, but none had the intention of adopting her; everyone wanted a newborn. Brianna never complained. Whenever a boyfriend had broken up with her, she packed her things and walked out his life. No begging them to take her back, or fighting for the relationship.

She removed her gaze from the archway and onto the cobblestone path. Tristan had passed through moments ago, and hadn’t returned. He wouldn’t return. She glanced around the place one last time. Male and female vampires dressed in black silks and velvets browsed at the different shops. Some sat at the bars, some at restaurants with a small group of human guests.

“
Nous allons diriger
,” said a vampire, in the same uniform as Lord Sylvestre’s guards.

“They want us to start heading up,” Kimberley explained.

Each step grew heavier when she climbed the stairs. Kimmie said something, but she didn’t pay attention, or respond.

They reached the top, and another two guards stood at the door. One took hold of the circular brass handle, and the second guard grabbed the other. They flung back the thick wood, nodding for them to exit.

The group headed through. Kimmie stepped around her and headed out also.

Brianna forced her feet forward and passed the threshold. A long lane stretched on her right. The dark trek lit with torches on either side of the rocky walls and led down a pathway that seemed very familiar to the hallways within the cave.

“
La sortie y est également et le bus est à côté de la caverne
.”

“The exit is a little further up, and the bus is just on the side of the cave,” Kimberly once again translated.

Similar to a prisoner in a line-up of convicts, she followed the group down the dirt path. Cool air brushed over her face and she straightened. Natural light shone ahead, shining on the brown, white and black rough limestone walls. The guard escorting them stopped and smiled.

“
C'est là que je vous laisse, jusqu'à la prochaine fois
.”

Everyone applauded and called out their thanks. She turned to Kimberly. “What’s going on?”

“This is as far as the guard can take us. People were just applauding their thanks.”

They continued toward the light. Brianna picked up pace, heart beating a little faster. Anticipation to see the other side hit her in full. She couldn’t wait, and found herself overtaking those in front of her.

When she exited out onto the clearing, brightness struck. With one hand, she shielded her eyes from the sun. It had been so long since she had seen direct sunlight, dark spots coated her vision. The dots soon cleared and the beauty of the outside world filled her view.

She climbed down the small, steep hill outside the cave. Moss and lichen covered the stone exterior. Further ahead sat the shuttle bus. The driver waited inside with the door ajar.

Brianna chuckled and kicked off her shoes. The soft, damp grass pressed into her bare feet, and increased the temptation to remove her dress, lie on the ground and enjoy the sensation over her skin. When she reached the edge of the hilltop, she inhaled deep.

The southwest countryside of France took her breath away. Green slopes and dips of the valley below stretched out for miles. The morning sun rose, the sky a mix of mustard yellow and grey. Steep, twisty roads in the distance curved around the mountain, and the daybreak fog far below reminded her of expanded cotton-wool, drifting over the old cottage buildings of a small village and along the course of a wide river.

A single tear slipped down her cheek. Even though the warmth of the sun seeped beneath her pores, the caress of the cool wind danced through her hair, and the green grass dampened her feet…she missed something.

She was touched on the outside. Inside, however, emptiness shrouded. No warmth caressed her, no breeze swirled, and that made the outward experience almost worthless.

“The bus is ready, Brianna.” Kimmie stood ahead, waving her over. The humans were boarding the large vehicle.

She could do this. Brianna stepped closer. The smile on Kimberly’s face encouraged her somewhat, but Brianna paused at the flash of colour above her head. She gazed up. A blue butterfly hovered in the air before landing atop the shrubs beside her. The flutter of its little wings captured her attention. She didn’t know if this was the same one, but reminded her of the day Tristan took her to the alcove. He had wanted to do a nice deed, and she all but spat in his face.

At the time she summed him up as a greedy bastard who only cared about himself. Of course she had; he took her from her home, her family, her life. But what she failed to realise was, he took a risk. He had waited centuries, and he could not let her slip through his fingers without giving their bond a chance.

And now her false accusations drove him away. He couldn’t seem to stand being with her for another second. Brianna stilled. If she took another step forward she would break down and cry.

Get a grip, you’ve walked away before, what’s one more time?
Yes, she had done this several times and never looked back. What was one more?

Kimmie’s frown shifted from the bus to her. “Brianna, what’s the matter? Did you leave something behind?”

The question made her blink. She glanced toward the butterfly still perched on the dark green shrubs and dragged her right foot back. Shudders hummed through her shoe and up her leg. The tremors were like an awakening; she almost made the biggest mistake of her life. Her breathing flowed out in low, shallow exhales. Another tremble when she drew back the left foot.

“Go on, Kimmie. Leave. And remember to visit me next time you’re here in
Désuet
.”